I kicked off the year by surrounding myself with people I care about along with those that inspire me. On the evening of New Year’s day, a dozen of us got together for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, The Pig & The Lady, a Vietnamese eatery located in the heart of Chinatown. We not only experienced an amazing meal, we connected on another level by openly sharing one or two personal goals we wanted to achieve this year.

Our shared vision board for 2015

With two months left in the year, I thought this would be a good time to check-in with the group’s progress. Most of us are on track to meeting our goals while others needed to adjust due to reasons such as health issues. However, the commitment to make a change was still there for all of us. “I may not complete a marathon this year, so instead, I’m focused on getting healthy and being active in other ways,” says Malia, a Consumer Affairs Coordinator for Hawaiian Airlines. Her boyfriend Todd, a McKinley High School grad, is managing his time better. “I try my best to find balance between what I want done, and the reality of what can be done.”

Negi Otoro Don with Ikura and Quail egg

Chef Hide Yoshimoto of Izakaya Torae Torae, a casual Japanese tavern, is proud that he created his signature dish – Negi Otoro Don with Ikura and Quail egg, a rice dish served in a large bowl topped with the fattiest portion of tuna, green onion, and salmon roe.

My colleague and friend, Michael Roush, Director for the National Disability Institute’s Real Economic Impact Network, connected with me during his last business trip here on Oahu. Our dinner conversation on vision boards inspired him to do one and he did! This exercise has been very rewarding and helpful for him. The vision board provides him a daily reminder of what his goals are and that they are possible!

Michael’s 2015 Vision Board

Professionally, this activity has been folded in to Michael’s work. “I use the vision board exercise to train financial coaches on how to enhance the goal setting process with clients,” explains the Florida resident. “The vision board activity creates a fun and interactive way to allow the client to truly identify what their dreams are.”

My best friend LaToya, who introduced the vision board concept to me in 2013, shared with me her struggle with intimate relationships however she defined her most amazing moment this year as “letting myself be vulnerable. Opening my heart to experience new things led me to feel beautiful and confident. And I still feel this way,” says the single mother. “I realized that I have what it takes to make it and I no longer apologize for how I feel.”

LaToya’s 2015 Vision Board

LaToya hosts a vision board party every year during the Thanksgiving holiday. This annual event brings together people of all different backgrounds and the sharing of our dreams and goals creates an unbreakable bond of support, belief in each other, and inspiration. I’m excited to be part of this again and curious how my 2016 vision board will unfold!

While I use this time to pause and reflect on 2015, I can’t help but smile and feel lucky. Many wonderful things happened – like falling in love. I was initially hesitant in placing a symbol of love on my vision board however I knew deep down that I truly valued being in a committed relationship. I was scared but I did it. I placed a heart shaped picture of a couple onto my vision board. Five months later, I found myself in the most loving relationship. My interview with Alice Inoue earlier this year inspired me to “make what is valuable to you, your focus.” And that is what I did. I’m eager to celebrate this year’s end as it marks the start of another vision board adventure.